Park calls Korean unification 'jackpot' for neighbors

Published : 2014-01-22 21:41
Updated : 2014-01-22 21:41

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Wednesday that the Korean unification would be a blessing not only for the Koreas but for neighbors as well, citing investment opportunities in the communist North.

Park made the remark during a question and answer session after a keynote speech at this year's meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. She said unification of the two Koreas would be a "jackpot" for all of Northeast Asia.

"I think unification will be a great benefit for neighboring countries," Park said, adding that unification will touch off massive investments in North Korea, mainly infrastructure projects, and revitalize investments in neighboring China and Russia too.

"As unification can provide the Northeast Asia region with a fresh growth engine, I think unification will be a jackpot not only for South Korea, but also for all neighboring countries in Northeast Asia," she said.

Park also said that unification would also be meaningful in that it will free North Korean people from the starvation and human rights violations they suffer under the communist regime.

Park also said the best way to predict the future is to map out your own future. She added that she is trying to make unification happen by creating the right conditions for a peaceful unification, rather than just sitting by and waiting for it. (Yonhap News)